The Alternative
by Bearose
Summary: One Shot. Part of a AU fic-verse where the war ended differently. The ending has happened, and now the order has to figure out what to do next,
1. Chapter 1

"No. No!" Ginny screamed, her arms shooting out in front of her just as Ron grabbed her arms and yanked her back. Harry fell to his knees, his wand split in his hand, face fallen. Voldemort walked behind him, looking far more a man than any had ever seen him.

He laughed, the laugh of someone who had finally gotten everything they'd ever wanted, a laugh that disregarded everything he'd lost to gain. Death Eaters stood behind him, every bit the picture of submissive power they needed to be.

"This is what success looks like, my friends." Nobody on the other side moved, Harry's eyes remained on the ground. Remus felt someone shift next to him, and glanced down to see his wife sliding her hand in his, her eyes trained on the black haired boy holding a broken wand.

"Lucius!" Tom Riddle called, not turning around as the blond man stepped forward slowly. "As agreed upon you will take the position as acting minister of magic." Tonks made a noise in her throat to Remus's side, he squeezed her hand to silence her. "First order of business?" Riddle asked. Remus could no longer consider him voldemort, for he simply looked like an old man, a point Malfoy wisely ignored.

"Arrest them, all of them. Kill any who try to run." Lucius said, not looking at the group standing across from him. Riddles eyes narrowed, flicking to Harry and back to Malfoy. "And the boy?" He asked.

"Arrest him for trial." Lucius said without hesitation. Immediately Riddle had his wand trained on Malfoy's face.

"No. He must die." Lucius raised his own wand cautiously, unsure of how to proceed in the moment. Before anyone realized what was happening Hermione was slipping through the crowd of people, pushing her way silently to the front, wand tightly at her side, eyes only on the man who had single handedly ruined her life.

She was just behind Remus when she raised her wand silently, he didn't move for fear of distracting her, but also for fear of what she was planning.

Neither Riddle nor Malfoy noticed her, both too busy focusing on the other. It wasn't until she whispered, with more venom than she had ever held in her tone before that Remus understood what was going to happen.

"Avada Kedavra." A shot of green light nailed Riddle on the back, and without a glance back he fell aggressively to the ground.

Harry was up immediately, running to Ginny who promptly disapparated with him, where they went nobody would know for nearly two weeks. Pair by pair they fled, death eaters rushing at them as they did, wondering what was going to happen, ad if the war really ended with voldemort's death, yet in the favor of evil.

Tonks gripped onto Remus as he sidelong her, ending up at the burrow before even considering where they were going.

"Fidelius charm. Help!" Hermione had her wand out, using Arthur as the secret keeper, Remus and Tonks began to set up safety wards around the house, making it not only invisible to outside eyes, but untraceable to those working to detect magic. All they could hope was that they did it in time.

The work was done too soon after it started, and the group stood in the Weasley kitchen, nobody sure what to say. Kingsley stepper forward slowly, standing next to Tonks, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"Until we understand what's happening we have to stay hidden. Stay close, stay in contact. He glanced to the Lupins, and Bill and Fleur, "You should go to your homes, set the same wards. Then come back here. We'll figure out next steps then." There were slow and somber nods as the four shuffled slowly to the door.

"Come back quickly now, alright?" Arthur said, speaking for his wife whose face was buried in George's shoulder as they cried for her lost son, his lost brother. Everyone was working on the assumption that Ginny and Harry were safe somewhere, and that they would know how to find the family when the time came.

Remus nodded, gripping his wife's hand firmly as they rushed out the door, disillusioning each other before the aparated to their cottage far off the beaten path. Waving on their door was a yellow sheet of paper stuck there by magic. They approached it slowly, tearing it off the door before pushing it open and slipping in their home.

 **Mandatory Registration for Dark Creatures and Shape-Shifters:** **All Mandated to Attend; protection Provided for** _ **All**_ **who Register. Monday, Ministry of Magic. 7 A.M.** **Any who choose not to register will be pursued and arrested, any who register and do not abide by the new laws of the minister face punishment and severe penalty. Registry open to all regardless of sides on the war: we are beginning a new age of Wizardry.** **Mandatory screening for all muggle-born wizards and witches. Status and placement determined after screening. Monday, Ministry of Magic 7 A.M.**

Tonks looked up at him as he finished reading, her brown hair covering her eyes slightly. "Do we go?" She asked slowly, glancing at the paper again. Remus pursed his lips, unmoving.

"Either we don't go, and have the promise of being arrested, or we go, and have a chance to be free…" He shook his head. "But do they really mean it?" He asked her, setting the paper on the floor before pulling her into his arms.

"It may be worth the risk." She said, tucking her head into his chest. He held her there for

a minute before she pulled away and pulled out her wand. "We should set some wards, even if we do decide to go."

Together they held their wands and set anti apparition wards around their home, making sure only select people could get through. Then they gathered their things and went back to the burrow, making the unspoken decision that they wouldn't talk about the registration offer until Monday.

The weekend spent at the burrow was silent and painful, so much so that Tonks and Remus opted to spend SUnday night in their own home, waking up early and traveling quickly, and discreetly to the ministry by seven in the morning. Hand in hand they walked down to the Department of Regulation for Magical creatures, where they were being assigned to register. THe process was far too simple.

Tonks walked up to a desk and sat in the chair, looking around seeing all types of Wizards and Witches, some clearly werewolves, others harder to know.

"Name." The dark haired wizard said across from her. She tried to figure out if he was a death eater, but she was having a hard time recognizing him.

"Nymphadora Tonks." She said. Immediately a file flew out from a drawer and into his hand.

"Half-blood status, metamorphmagus, Order of the Pheonix member. All correct." He hadn't looked up at her yet. She hesitated a moment where she considered lying before nodding.

"Correct."

"Due to your past allegiances you will not be able to return to work at the ministry of magic. You will be notified by post when there are openings you are allowed to apply for. You are forbidden to leave the country, your apparition points are being tracked, your home monitored. If you are found having any contact with those from the Order who we have yet to track down you will be arrested and tried as such, do you understand these rules." His voice was monotone, yet somehow familiar, Tonks shifted trying to see his face.

"Yes, I understand." He pulled a paper from the file, and set it in front of her.

"We have you listed as residing in address listed here, an apartment in Hogsmeade, this is where your apparition and travel will be tracked from, part of your freedom agreement is that we cannot track you from another location. Is this your current address." She hesitated for a long moment, looking at the address. She couldn't run the risk of lying, she couldn't put Remus in that position.

"My current address is-"

"As listed here, very well thank you. Is Mr. Remus John Lupin still residing at this current address with you." Her eyebrows pinched together as the man spoke.

"Yes, at the address of-"

"Hogsmeade. Very well. Thank you. As your registrar I'd advise you to avoid apparating form that address for several weeks, as your neighbors at that listed addressed are also being tracked for arrest, and it would be in your best interest to not to draw attention to yourself, do you understand." He stuck the address sheet back in the folder, where she noticed a small scar on his hand.

A scar she put there.

The man looked up at her for the first time in the registration, and her eyes filled with tears. She was staring into the face of her old auror partner, the man she worked with nearly her entire time in the office.

And he was protecting her.

"I understand." She said, standing up slowly. He followed her with his eyes.

"Very well Miss Tonks, remember the rules, things will be very difficult for quite some time." She nodded back to him, mouthing her thanks silently.

He nodded, back, stamping a folder before screaming "Next!" Tonks rushed out of the office crashing into Remus as she did so. He grabbed her into his arms and pulled her through the halls of the ministry with a aggressive strength she never knew he really had.

They made it outside the office before apparating back to their cottage, where she collapsed into him in tears.

"It was Rogers, the interviewer… he lied for us Remus, they don't know where we're living. Well they did but he changed it. He lied for us. We're safe." He stroked her back gently, rubbing slow circles.

"I had Proudfoot, Dora. He did the same." She tucked her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in.

"We're safe. We're safe." She mumbled over and over as he held her, letting her tears fall. "How do we tell everyone else?" She asked still crying.

"They know, everyone got a notice, King actually told me to make sure we went. So they know, they're happy for us. But Tonks, we know we aren't out of the woods yet. We still have to be on guard."

"I know." She whispered again. We'll not be safe for quite some time." He nodded into her, before lifting her into his arms and carrying her back to their bedroom.

"Remus the moon is tomorrow don't-"

"Shh." He cut her off laying her down. "I know, but I need to feel you right now." He slipped her shirt off, before tugging off his own and dropping them carelessly onto the floor. He crawled into their bed next to her, pulling the covers far over their heads, pulling her closer to him than she could really go.

"I love you." She whispered as she felt his tears tickle her face. He simply nodded against her, before the pair fell into a restless sleep, wondering what really lie ahead for them.


	2. Chapter 2

**I had every intention for this to be a one-shot, but there was a startling number of people who read and asked for more, so we'll see where this goes. In the end it'll all tie into my previously posted one-shot called "safe". Thanks for reading friends!**

The next morning Remus woke with tired eyes and an aching body, the ever constant reminder that the full moon was coming. He stifled a groan as he rolled over, taking in his wife who was still sleeping. He wondered when they would talk about their son, and her parents. When they would decide when to have the funeral for their boy.

He thought back to Tonk's face as she found him at the Hogwarts battle. He knew right away what had happened, and after she uttered the words in a deathly monotone voice she had not spoken of Teddy again.

Maybe that's why she was refusing to mention her parents.

He didn't know how hard to push her.

She stirred. He held his breath. She reached her hand out to his, and upon finding it a tear slipped down her face again. She'd never cried this much in front of him, but he was ready. He let her cry silently for a few moments, before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap.

He knew she was thinking about the same things he was in those few minutes where he thought she was sleeping.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked her, knowing he needed to know what really happened when her mother's estranged family attacked them before going to the battle, but unsure if she would be able to get the words out.

She swallowed, an angry sound as she forced herself to calm down, he stayed quiet giving her time to think, wishing he hadn't gone to the battle when he did, wishing he could have been there with her in those final moments.

His own tears fell.

"They came in, so many of them. Mum and I were sitting on the couch, Te- he was in the rocker, falling asleep. They had us bound before we even got our wands out. Asked mum where dad was. She kept telling them she didn't know. And our boy was so quiet, I don't even think they saw him at first.

"Then the curses started, and he got scared and began to fuss. Bellatrix, of course it was fucking Bellatrix…" She laughed mirthlessly, and the sound cut through Remus's bones, he pulled her closer to himself, not liking the sound of that laugh.

"She didn't even hesitate Rem… she just… the killing… She would have done mum and I too I reckon… but _he_ called them. And before I even knew what happened to Teddy, they were gone." Her eyes were dry. Alarmingly dry. Remus pulled her closer to him and stroked her hair.

"Shit." She whispered. He waited, knowing there was more. She took deep breath in, gasping for air. "Shit!" She shouted again, far louder. He held her tighter, crushing her face to his chest, ignoring the way it hurt him.

He didn't know how long she sat there in his arms as they took turns crying. But there came a point where he decided they needed to eat, to together they shuffled down the stairs, into the kitchen, where a bar of chocolate was shared.

He then decided they needed to go make sure her parents were alright, to see Teddy one last time and figure out what the next steps were. She begged him to wait until the full moon was over.

He agreed. She walked with him down into the basement when the time came, kissed him once more, then went back into their room for what stood as the longest night of both of their lives; one they couldn't even spend together.

And she cried some more.

Early the next morning the brown haired witch took a small amount of muggle bills from their bedside drawer and journeyed into the town to pick up coffee and breakfast before Remus woke up. They were staying in an area of muggle London highly affected by the wizarding world, meaning most of their neighbors were wizards; not that they even realized the Lupins lived there.

The town was already impacted by the war. She streets seemed darker, far less populated, with an air of something bad hanging over, as if everyone knew this was only the beginning.

She pushed the door to the cafe open slowly, taking inventory of every person inside, making sure she was safe; wand tightly gripped in her hand, hidden up her sleeve.

She walked up to the counter. "Morning." The young girl said softly, taking in the haggard appearance of the woman. Ratty brown hair, blood-shot eyes, and a bruise she wasn't able to get rid of.

"Morning." Tonks tried to smile back, failing. "May I have two coffees, and two of the sweet rolls." She pointed quickly, watching as the girl got to work gathering everything. The transaction was simple, and painless just as she was hoping it would be. On her way out she snuck a copy of the daily prophet from it's position, able to be seen only by wizards.

She folded it up and kept it at her side until she arrived back in the cottage, breathing a deep sigh the woman dropped the paper on the couch before carefully walking over to the basement door. Just as she was about to pull it open there was a gentle push from the other side, she quickly tossed the door, and helped her husband the rest of the way up the stairs. WHile leading him to the sofa she checked his body over for any deep cuts that would need immediate attention.

"No bleeding this time around, maybe going into a full moon completely drained is a good thing." He wheezed out as she made sure he was settled in, laying a blanket over him. "Is that coffee I smell?" He asked lifting his head slightly.

Despite everything, she laughed, a broken sound, but a laugh nonetheless. She nodded, and he watched her hips as she worked back into the kitchen to get his cup and food. He was still watching her body as she moved up until the moment she set it next to him, so he could lean against her.

"Thank you for this, Dora." He said, taking a long and much needed sip of the warm drink so he could thaw out from the inside. Transformations always left him feeling unusually cold. She hummed her reply, taking a decent sized bite out of the pastry. They ate in silence, only interrupted by the rustling of the pages where she pulled the paper out from underneath her.

Still in silence the pair drank in the cover, which was littered with pictures of all of their friends. They were being hunted, and the reward was great for those who found them. Tonks fingered through the paper, taking in the information that was essential. The warning siren that was being put into every wizarding and surrounding community, which was triggered by the apparition of anyone who met the physical description of the wanted people, without magic.

This denied them from using polyjuice potion to get around.

"Bugger. We're going to have to warn them." Tonks muttered, flipping through some more trusting that Remus was reading along with her.

The paper informed them that Harry was still on the run, a fact that filled both of their hearts with great joy. They learned that ministry was being infiltrated, and still run by Malfoy but that they were facing some issues after the death of Voldemort, or Riddle… or whoever he was when he died.

But the problem was the evil regime was still strong, and the bounty on Hermione's head was greater than even that of Harry's. How they knew it was her who cast the final spell neither of them were able to know.

After more painful reading, Tonks folded the paper aggressively and dropped it on the floor.

"It's all falling to shit." She said, swinging her arm over Remus's shoulder, spilling coffee over the edge of her cup and onto her leg.

"That it is." Remus mumbled back, feeling his eyes begin to droop with exhaustion.

"That and neither of us got any sleep last night, so let's go take some rest, shall we?" She draped her arm over his shoulder, shutting the curtains with her wand, and walked them up the stairs into their room.

For another several hours the pair fell into partial slumber, each waking the other with the sound of the cries as they awoke from nightmares to realize it was reality.

"Dora." Remus nudged her arm, feeling the sharp bone of her elbow, wondering at what point he'd missed her getting so thin. "Tonks." He pushed again, finally getting a groan in response. He felt bad waking her, and wanted nothing more himself than to get back to sleep, especially after that particular full moon where even the wolf was plagued with the stress of everything going on around them.

But they had things to be done, and people too important to leave hanging any longer.

"Tonks we need to go to your parents, and the burrow." With those words she let out a strange combination of a groan and a cry, before pushing herself out of the bed to her feet, unsteadily.

"Okay." Was all she said as she trudged into the bathroom, emerging moments later with new clothing, and a bit more refreshed looking than she previously had. Remus followed suit and just a few minutes after that they were walking out the door, hand in hand, heads down low.

They walked nearly half a mile away from their house before disapparating together to her parents house.

All impacts of the moon aside, Remus, even looking back years later, never knows how he was able to grab his wife upon landing. It was almost as if his body was working faster than his eyes, like his body understood the situation before he really knew what was happening. But the second his feet hit the grass, and the heat hit his face, his arms wound around Tonks in a death grip; and in impossible strength he held her for many long minutes as her arms stretch toward the still burning remains of her parents home.

Remus had no idea how long the fire had been going for, but he knew her parents were either standing in the back waiting for the pair, or long gone inside.

He knew he would never get to kiss the face of his little boy again.

He knew this was not how the war was supposed to end.

He knew that in a fairy tale novel Harry would have won; good would have prevailed, and he and Tonks would have returned home, possibly wounded, but alive, to kiss their son and raise him right.

But if even the best stories were flawed and they didn't make it, he knew this wasn't how Teddy's life should have gone, he knew Harry shouldn't be in hiding, he knew there had to be something more.

But this was not a fairy tale, or even a book. This was life. His life, and Tonks's life, and he was gripping to her tighter than ever before because he knew with everything gone he couldn't lose her too and survive.

Probably in the same way she couldn't lose her parents and her son and survive.

Finally she stopped pulling against him, as they watched the fire slowly die, as the heap of ashes left nothing else to be burned.

He collapsed, in a heap of broken hearts and aching bones, crying alongside her for all the injustice that sat around them. For all the memories they would never get to make. For all the joy that was suddenly ripped from their grasp.

The sun set, and a nearly full moon appeared in the sky, as if taunting Remus. He still had no words to say to his wife, who was simply clinging to him, with shaking hands. He finally felt he had the strength, and slowly soot pulling her to her feet next to him.

"Come with me." He said, pulling her away from the ruins in front of them, before praying he didn't splinch as he apparated them to the set point outside the Weasley's house, where he sent a patronus warning them they were coming.

Tonks numbly followed beside him, letting him lead her through the door to the table where the family was fathered with Kingsley and Hermione. Everyone's eyes widened as they took in Tonks and Remus's states. Molly rushed over to the woman, taking out her wand and cleaning the soot and dirt off of her, then doing the same to Remus. Nobody spoke while she worked, as she moved to the dark bruises covering Remus's arm from where Tonks had repeatedly hit him. He didn't even notice it was happening.

Tonks's eyes stayed trained on the table, the tension in the room riding with every spell Molly muttered.

Finally, "Remus, what's happened?" It was King who asked, who reached out a hand to Tonks, who gripped on tightly as more tears slipped from her eyes. Remus took in a shuddering breath.

"Andy, Ted… and Teddy…" He couldn't even finish the words, he felt his face sting with tears, choking them back. "They were attacked." He gasped in air, looking to his wife for strength, watching as she reached her other hand out to him. He held on. "The house, they burned it. They were all inside. They were… we didn't make it… we didn't have time… we couldn't make it." He wasn't sure who wrapped their arms around him, but he did know he was suddenly sobbing as he thought of the Tonks's who loved him despite all the pain he put them through. Of Teddy, who would never grow up, never tell his parents a funny story, never sing, or dance, or trip over his feet. Never fly a broom, or tell his parents he loved them.

This was not how things were supposed to be.


End file.
